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Product description

Product Description

The Genius of Cavaillé-Coll celebrates the life and work of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811 - 1899), the great French organ builder whose work inspired the magnificent compositions of the French Romantic Organ School; Franck, Widor, and Guilmant. The centrepiece of this lavish boxed-set is a three-part, 156-minute documentary about Cavaillé-Coll's life and work. Two further DVDs include demonstrations of fifteen organs and more than three hours of music (all recorded in full surround sound). Two CDs feature a survey of French organ music from 1830 to 1900. An 80-page booklet contains specifications and colour photos of all the organs, track details and an introductory essay.

Review

Magnificent --The Sunday Telegraph

A triumph - a fascinating and captivating film of huge scope and ambition. BBC Music Magazine Awards 2014 - Winner DVD Documentary of the year --BBC Music Magazine

This will surely be the standard reference work for decades to come... this glorious box-set is an indispensable purchase. --Gramophone Magazine

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Expensive, but a bargain for this production and its overall quality. A number of organists demonstrate these instruments, Pierre Pincemaille being the best of all (more on him later). An excellent booklet and the 5 disc set comes out at a fair price for such a lavish and bespoke production.Gerard Brooks shines in his presentations although I found Noel-Hudson a bit of a bore quite frankly, he needs to lighten up and not address his audience as though he is talking to an informed public about things they really can't be expected to know, a minor but irritating caveat.The very finest chapter is that with Pierre Pincemaille demonstrating the organ of St Denis in a pyrotechnic display of improvisation, managing the somewhat crude console with amazing physical effort, here's someone who really can communicate both musically and orally. There is a wonderful fugue he throws out with a nonchalance that is truly inspiring and his final Sortie has him performing all sorts of gymnastics in his battle against the console. The Priory Cathedral Organ releases are interesting but this DVD trounces them all in terms of production and quality, and you learn so much in the process.Excellent photography throughout and the soundtrack is suitably impressive. A work of real significance and a fine balance between history, construction, instruments and performances.Like all of these types of issues it will only be here for a short time so but quickly if you are pondering - it's certainly worth it.

What need one say. This has taken over from the great Motette LP set as the definitive sound archive of the work of this great organ builder. The second DVD is worth the price of the set by itself - demonstrations of a large number of C-C instruments. The booklet is also a fine production, with specs of all the instruments included in the set, plus colour photos of each. Used in conjunction with the book from the Motette set, and one has a remarkable record (no pun intended) of the work of the great man.. The first DVD explores Cavaillé-Coll's life and puts his work in its historical context, while DVD3 gives more demonstrations and, more importantly, some gorgeous improvisations. The two CDs give the musical context of the development of the C-C organ, and are, in their own right, an important document. In toto, a magnificent production by Fugue State Films. Very highly recommended.

The right instruments, the right interpreters and advocates, appropriately undistracting visuals. My favourite section of the DVD? Pierre Pincemaille's presentation and demonstration at Saint-Denis. After a satisfyingly comprehensive series of mini-lectures - very French in their magisterial didacticism - and their accompanying virtuosic improvisations, Pincemaille, visibly exhausted by the physical effort involved (not least that of pushing in every stop after each demonstration), and probably certain that his sardonic final comment on the very mixed blessing of being titulaire of such an aurally beautiful but intractable instrument will be edited out, is filmed leaving the loft, no doubt musing bitterly on the good fortune of his confrère Latry's good fortune in presiding every Sunday at Notre-Dame at an organ whose integrity has been compromised by the provision of a console equipped with adjustable pistons and a General Cancel button ...

I am a great fan of these instruments and have found the information in this set to be well organized and enlightening. It is also thrilling to hear many of the lesser known instruments that were included in the story. I hope that the entire world will appreciate how important these instruments are, and also, how important it is that we preserve the instruments in as close to their original condition as possible. Ray Moderski, Philadelphia PA

This is an outstanding set of DVDs and CDs full of information and demonstrations. Whereas many DVDs of this type often just show stills this one takes us on brief tours of the areas, the churches, the organs and performances. Brilliant organists give demonstrations of the instruments describing not only the organs of Cavaille-Coll but performing works of the period and improvising. This set should be a must for all students of the organ but will also delight those who are interested in organ music. I can only congratulate all those involved in this project and recommend it highly to everyone.

Learned a lot about these wonderful instruments and the man behind them. Sound is very good and allows you to hear the differences between the instruments and the advancement in his sound towards the symphonic instrument. Picture was not quite so good. Blu-Ray may have been better for such an important subject. The extra discs with performances on various organs are great and show the differences in expressiveness of these instruments.

As a surprise going away gift, the Executive Committee and I gave this 5 set collection to my boss. He is waiting until June 28, when he leaves to go to his summer home for the season, to open the package. He promises he will write to let us know what he thinks. I'll come back and post again once I've heard from him. But from everything I have read, I expect an enthusiastic email from him, to say the least.